Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-07-25
CHINATOWN.
Reasons why its Total Destruc-
tiOn Would Cause Rejoicing.

Chinatown, the greater portion of
which was destroyed by last nights
conflagration, has ever been a source
of interest both to the newly arrived
visitor and the old resident of the city
of Los Angeles. Though not to be
compared with the mammoth colony
which the natives of the Flowery
Kingdom have established at San
Francisco where $4,000 moon-eyed
Mongolians centre for the purposes of
business and labor, still, the settle
ment they had established here was
an unique one, and afforded many OPP
portunities for the study of their hab-
its and proclivities. When the pio-
neer Chinaman first pitched his tent
within the city's walls cannot be as
certained, as ere the arrival of the
Southern Pacific railroad, An
geleiios had become well acquaint-
ed with the curious costumes,
and pig-tailed crania of the followers
of Confucius. Time rolled on and All
Mow's washee-house on the east side
of the plaza-the first institution of
the kind established here-became for
the time the headquarters of the idol
ators but it was not until the grading
force of the Southern Pacific road APP
peared on the scene that the horde
which has increased from few units
in 1870 to a population of about 1000
at the present time, commenced
its descent upon our sunny south
ern country, The Chinese colony
began to cover space extending over
six blocks of the city's property,
and stores, a joss-house and
a theatre appeared, to sa-
tiate the peculiar requirements
of the Mongolian population. There
was curse, however, that followed in
the train of these invaders, and its
blight soon became one of the foulest
blots on the history of the city. Their
low wshackle-down tenements possessed
that fatal lure which, in the words of
De Quincy, Sin its participation cor
rupts the finest elements in our human
mechanism" Opium smoking soon
numbered among its votaries great
many of what is termed, "the sporting
element" and in its endeavors to check
this fearful bane the police depart
hent has had to encounter one of its
hardest problems connected with the
city's government. White men, and
women too, were nightly stretched
upon dirty pallets in the vilest
rookeries in Chinatown, their haggard
faces twitching under the influence of
the poisonous drug, as with their
senses temporarily stolen away by the
fumes they had inhaled, they partici-
pated in the weird and unholy delights
Of their poppian draught, to awake
with mental pains and feelings of re-
morse as white-faced and abashed they
skunk like beaten hounds into the
light of day and the gaze OF their fel-
low men.
Vice became paramount and
gambling dens and houses of pros
titution flourished openly despite the
vigorous efforts of suppression wrought
by the municipal authorities, and this
cesspool of iniquity became bar sim
lister on the otherwise untarnished es-
cutcheon of the City of the Angels. In
spite of the many attempts to alleviate
the evil, it became apparent that
the inherent barbarisms OF the race
could never be brought under the
soothing and civilizing influences of
Christian government, for although
any outward defiance or contempt OF
the law was instantly and severely
punished, it is well known to all, that
sub rosa, vice was rampant in its
worst form there, and innate refine
ment shuddered whenever, induced
by curiosity or business, it visited
that section of the city yclept China
town.
Who then of the law-abiding resi-
dents of the town, beyond prob
ably few whose property inter-
ests have been injured, will
experience any feelings other than
those of satisfaction when he realizes
that a number of these iniquitous
dens have been blotted out of ex-
istence?
Natural sympathy will doubtless in
duce commiseration for the unfor-
tunate beings who have lost in the
fire their homes and property, but as
their loss is an inestimable gain for
the community at large, the feelings
of regret are apt to give way to the
thrill OF delight which the extermina-
ton of these vicious habitations will
o,,h